The Thursday Update

Lakeshore Friends—

Have you spent more time in prayer since we began the Power of Prayer series?  Our desire is to help you not only learn more about prayer but also to pray more every day.

One of the greatest signs of a quality relationship is the level of communication that takes place between the two parties.  Unfortunately, when a married couple is not relating well, their communication tends to be absent, short, or even toxic.  On the other hand, when a couple relates well, they communicate regularly, lovingly, and healthily.

The same is true of our relationship with God.

If you want to feel closer to God, prayer is one of the most important ways to do that.  He wants us to pray so that we get to know Him (remember, He already knows us really well).  Prayer helps us see God better, see Him at work in our everyday life, learn to trust Him, and find his answers to our dilemmas in life.  And so much more.

So, I hope you’ll pray more to get closer to God.  And while you’re at it, let’s pray for the people in our lives to attend church this Easter.  God wants a relationship with them too.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

If you’re like me, prayer is hard work.  It rarely comes easy to me.  I used to think that I was alone in this perspective… but I’m not.  So many people I talk to tell me they feel the same challenge in their own lives.

That’s unfortunate because prayer is simply amazing.

Think of it.  Where else can you have unlimited access to someone like God?  Where else can you have your burdens relieved so completely?  Where else can you find hope for a heart that is filled with despair?  Where else can you experience the God of the universe so personally?  And yet, somehow, despite all of this and so much more, we struggle to pray.

Maybe we need to see prayer for what it really is and not for the hard work that it may require?  Maybe we just need to remember that God loves to hear from us and to help us?

As we embark on our church-wide prayer effort (if you haven’t signed up yet, you can right here), let’s remember what we’re really doing and then let that inspire us to really do it— to really pray.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

If there is one thing that really bothers me about the subject of prayer more than anything else it’s that so many people claim to believe in it and yet so few people actually pray.  And for those times people do, there’s lots of confusion on what you pray, who you pray to, what prayer can do, and even the faulty belief that prayer (in and of itself) is powerful.

To that last point, prayer in and of itself is NOT powerful.  Now, before you pick up stones to chase me around church on Sunday and stone me to death for what appears to be an unbiblical statement, let me explain.  Only God is powerful, and prayer is only powerful because it connects us to God.  Think of prayer as a conduit to God and His power.  Just like a conduit doesn’t carry electrical current (the wire inside of the conduit does), prayer isn’t the power but just what carries us to God, who is the power.

As to the other points of confusion mentioned above, we plan to address and resolve them for you on Sunday.  I hope you’ll be here as we talk about prayer each week leading up to Easter.

And since so many people believe in prayer, invite them to join you!  We’ll help them become better "pray-ers" if they're open to it.

Warmly,
Vince